Mexican Tomato And Black Bean Soup With A Corn Salsa - cooking recipe

Ingredients

3 lbs tomatoes, roasted (you can use cherry tomatoes, but I normally use plum tomatoes for this)
1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drain but don't rinse
1 cup onion (1/2 cup rough chopped, 1/2 cup diced fine)
1/2 cup celery, fine diced
1 jalapeno pepper, chopped (I leave some ribs in for heat, but you can remove all the seeds and ribs if you like less heat)
3 teaspoons garlic, chopped
4 cups vegetable broth
1 lime, juice of
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon dried chili powder
1 tablespoon cumin
1 pinch sugar
olive oil (to roast the tomatoes, and to saute the onions, garlic and celery)
salt
pepper
Corn Salsa
1 1/2 cups corn (frozen or canned is fine)
1 avocado, fine chopped
1/2 cup red onion, fine chopped
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
salt
pepper
Garnish
sour cream
tortilla chips
chopped black olives (optional)

Preparation

Tomatoes -- The tomatoes should just be cut in half or quarters. Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper and roast on a baking sheet lined with parchment or you can just use a non stick spray, in a 400 degree oven, middle rack for about 15 minutes, until they begin to caramelize and get golden brown. Once the tomatoes are done, remove from the oven and transfer all the tomatoes and the juice from the pan, into a food processor.
Puree -- To the tomatoes add, the 1/2 cup onion rough chopped and jalapeno. Puree until smooth. Taste, if it isn't too hot you can add another jalapeno. I use two, but the is a tomato soup, so you don't want it too spicy. That is up to you.
Base -- In a medium pot, add a little olive oil (1 teaspoon), and add the celery, 1/2 cup fine diced onions and garlic and saute on medium heat until tender, 3-4 minutes.
Soup -- Then to the celery and onions, add in the tomatoes, (pureed roasted tomatoes, and the diced tomatoes), black beans, broth, and all the seasoning. Don't add the cilantro or the lime juice yet.
Simmer -- On medium low, cook for about 15 minutes. Turn the heat off and add in the cilantro and lime juice.
Corn Salsa -- As the soup is simmering, make the corn salsa. In a small bowl, add the corn, avocado, onion, lime juice, garlic, salt and pepper and mix well. It only needs to marinate a around 10 minutes.
Serve -- Serve a big bowl of the soup with the corn salsa and a dollop of the sour cream. I also like to add some chopped olives, but that is optional, and some tortilla chips.